Mad Musings
by Heavenmetal
Summary: Based on Syfy's Alice. Hatter's thoughts as he's tortured.


Mad Musings by Heavenmetal

The second time Hatter entered the Happy Hearts Casino was decidedly more inglorious than the first. He was ushered towards the Truth Room from which he'd once rescued a beautiful girl but there would be no rescue this time. This would be the end of the road.

The suits tied him to a chair. He didn't struggle. He didn't want to fight. His body was still sore from the beating Mad March had given him on the way here. No, he wanted his last thoughts to be of the afore mentioned beauty that he had failed so spectacularly. On second thought, maybe not that moment in particular, a good deal before that though…

Holding her warm delicate hand, her wide eyes locked onto his as the pretty little oyster followed where he led. Her raw emotions swam around him deliciously and intoxicatingly as though he had drunk gallons of the stuff, distilled and undiluted, until the fluttering in his chest made him think his heart would burst from it all.

Holding onto the happy memory, he watched detached as two figures came into focus after the blur of suits retreated. Their part of the story was over, after all. Now comes the awful part…

"I am Doctor Dee," the bald man started, "and this is my brother Doctor Dum and we-"

"Right," Hatter interrupted, "know who you are and how the dance goes. So let's get on with it, yeah?"

"This one shall be fun!" The doctors shared a conspiratorial smile before they plunged into his head.

The room shifted and changed. The sun shone overhead, casting its merry light on a wide green field just beyond the Casino. Peacocks and Party-goers milled all about while the croquet mallets were put away and the field cleared for the concert. Oh, how he hated this memory.

Hatter swallowed past the fear in his throat. His palms felt sweaty. He made a show of straightening his lapels as he subtly wiped his hands on his coat. He had a job to do that could make or break him, set him for life.

He looked up at the dais. The Queen, lavish as always, caught his gaze and smiled at him. He smiled back nervously and gave a tip of his hat. She clapped her hands twice and the crowd hushed, hastily rushing into place so they wouldn't miss the show. The ambitious ones jostled for positions where they could not only see but be seen watching. Hatter stayed on the outskirts of the crowd, keeping _Him_ in sight.

Hatter's target stood in the front row, resplendent in his fashionable, yet well-worn and threadbare, suit. Heaven forbid the old man should fail to cling to anything with a past, including his post. He had once been an advisor to the Red King before the Hearts put an end to the old regime. Then he just stayed put and managed to do so with his head still on his shoulders. That alone meant that he wasn't one to trifle with. Be that as it may, some trifles couldn't be avoided. The Queen wanted the old codger out of the way, a quick fix, so it had to be now at the Queen's Opera, between the croquet game and 6 o'clock tea.

The King stood, offering his arm to the Queen as she stood addressing the crowd. "My pretty suits, we would like to announce the opening of our newest Tea Shop in the city and its proprietor, Hatter."

Hatter stood agape as the Queen of Hearts gestured to him with a sweep of her ermine clad arm. How was he to pull this off if she pointed him out to everyone? Time to put on the show then…

Hatter plastered on a wide grin and, bending deeply, dropped into a flourishing bow. He caught his hat deftly as it fell from his head and, with a flick of his wrist, sent it spinning up his arm. It rolled across his shoulders and down his other arm then he tossed the hat high. Dashing towards the stage, Hatter turned to face the crowd with open arms as the hat landed on his head.

The Matriarch laughed and with her approval the rest of the crowd applauded as well. He began to sing the first song that came into his head.

"Twinkle, twinkle little bat,"

Ignoring the confused glances of the crowd at his song choice Hatter kept his mark in sight, just on the edge of his vision, and moved slightly closer.

"How I wonder what you're at?"

Pull this off and you're the owner of a respectable tea shop and you'll never have to scrape or scramble for nothing. Fail and the Hearts will see you a head shorter and six feet lower.

"Up above the world you fly,"

With a jaunty hop and a spin, he was almost there. Hatter drew back his right arm, his weapon.

"Like a Tea-Tray in the sky."

NOW!

Hatter leapt off the stage and hit the old advisor with everything he had. He stared into the old man's shocked face, mouth formed into a silent "o" of surprise as Hatter's punch collided with his temple. He felt the skull crack beneath his sledgehammer a heartbeat before a sickly, warm wetness covered his hand. With a grimace of disgust Hatter pulled his gore-covered fist back, grabbing the old man by the coat as he began to slump. Hatter regretfully struck again to finish the job even as a wave of self-loathing washed over him.

The crowd around him backed away fearfully and one of the ladies shrieked in horror, "Someone stop him! He's killing Time!"

Hatter glanced down with overwhelming guilt at his blood coated fingers, telling himself he had no choice. He glanced up at the Queen who smiled terribly with approval and he shuddered, casting his eyes down. He instantly regretted it as it left him staring into the dead gaze of old man Time.

Laughter echoed around him as the scene faded, returning to black as the doctors came into view.

"Thus Hatter's purse got fatter that day after lunch." Dee taunted, his brother continuing, "For killing precious Time with punch after punch."

Hatter silently wished that he could ease his mind with the realization that it wasn't real. But it had been once, just because it was a memory didn't mean it was any less real than the now. This was both at once, then and now, and that made it all the worse. He'd acted impetuously.

Alice materialized in front of him looking angry. "No, selfishly!" She chided, "You acted selfishly!"

She struck him, cold-cocked him blind sided out of the darkness. He stumbled back in shock, groaning even as he felt his eye swelling. "Yes, and I ain't proud of it," he yelled out to the doctors "Dunno why you'd bring up something the Queen already knows. What's the point?"

Another blow with the force of a lightning bolt behind it and the Hatter was back in the chair, feeling blood trickle slowly down his neck. He waited for them to start interrogating him. Dum (or was that Dee?) prodded him with another blast of white hot hurt. Hatter bit back his scream, part of him accepting that he deserved this for what he'd done. As if his own sins weren't enough, what had truly landed him here was failing to save a pretty girl in a very wet dress. Poor Alice. Poor Hatter. There's no more Time.

A bald head was hovering before him and Hatter struggled to focus on what it was saying. "The point is pointless. The point, dear Hatter, is pain."

The room melted and twisted in shades of black and green, blending into one another. The lightning crashed into his side once again, bursting through him until he couldn't see, something metallic filling his mouth as the smell of ozone assaulted him. This time he did not wait for a question because it would not come.

A moment's pause before the jolt struck again, dancing along his nerves and closing his throat before his cries could break free. Endurance was all that was left. They would continue to torture him for the fun of it, for nothing: pointless as pieces of paper called money, pointless as a riddle with no answer.

Laughter mocked his agony before it mirrored the performance. This time the scream burst forth as though overflowing a dam.

"Leave us," came a raspy voice.

"But-"

"I said leave!"

Hatter wanted to breathe a sigh of temporary relief but another sadistic shot stole any thought of breathing as he howled again.

"Why is a Raven like a writing desk?"

_I've absolutely no idea…_

"The clockwork's not ticking properly."

_Not since Hatter wasted Time._

"Maybe crumbs in the butter."

_Mucking things up like always…_

"Where's the Great Library?" Mad March questioned. Recognition hit him and Hatter glared at the Hare. How rude to begin an interrogation now that he'd resigned to him himself to none!

"Yeah, I didn't think you'd crack." It was ruder still to make personal remarks.

"In that case," March said, drawing his knife, "There's no need to keep you alive." Hatter started to panic, his survival instinct kicking in as he remembered the first time this bizarre hybrid creature came after Alice. _Alice… I promised I'd make sure she'd be all right. I have to fight back!_

"Twinkle, twinkle, little bat," March mocked him with his own dirge, "How I wonder what you're at?"

_Alice._


End file.
